Ex-Replacements Guitarist Slim Dunlap Suffers Stroke

Blurt-Online passed on a story today from the Star Tribune paper in Minneapolis that ex-Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap suffered a stroke this week.

Minneapolis paper the Star Tribune is reporting that Slim Dunlap, late of the Replacements and still a musician on the Twin Cities scene, suffered a stroke this week and is intensive care. Wife Chrissie posted the details at Facebook:

"Bob is in the SICU at HCMC. I am not going to sugarcoat this -- this morning he suffered a right middle cerebral artery stroke. He then fell and hit his head, resulting in a left vertebral artery dissection and a right subarachnoid hemorrhage.

"The good news is that he is sharp and aware, his speech is fine, and all of the nurses and doctors have commented on his unique sense of humor. The bad news is that he cannot move the right side of his body and will be in for some serious rehab. They will be giving him more tests tomorrow to determine the extent of the damage. I will try to post updates as we learn more. Louie will be with him all night and I will be back there tomorrow. We don't need a thing but your good wishes for his full recovery."

Godspeed with that recovery, Slim.

Replacements Documentary, "Color Me Obsessed," to Premiere This Month

Finally...Paste reported today that Color Me Obsessed, a fan-based documentary of The Replacements is finally coming out. Of the movie, director Gorman Bechard said, "I decided to present the band in a more iconic way. I thought, people believe in God without seeing or hearing him but rather through the passion, faith, and stories of others. After watching Color Me Obsessed, I’m pretty sure music fans will believe in The Replacements in much the same way.”

I'm a huge Mats fan and even that's a little strong for me. But we'll have to reserve judgment until after we see it. It may be worth seeing just for the interviews. Paste states that "the film includes over 140 interviews, including musicians such as Colin Meloy, Craig Finn, Patrick Stickles, Mac McCaughan, Tommy Ramone, Grant Hart and Greg Norton. Music critics Robert Christgau and Ira Robbins also weigh in on the importance of “the potentially true story of the last best band.”

Something with this big of an intro...could either really be great or really suck. Of course, we're hoping for the first of the two options.



"Color Me Obsessed" premieres 3/26 at the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa, FL, and then 4/2 at Madison’s Wisconsin Film Festival, 4/15 at the Chicago International Movies & Music Festival, and 5/4 at Sound Unseen in Minneapolis, MN.

If You Didn't See It...Paul Westerberg's Thoughts on the Passing of Alex Chilton

The work of Paul Westerberg and the Replacements is responsible for much regarding my musical proclivities, as well as the main structure of the site that you are reading. (If you're confused by this, Google all but one of its segment titles. Then get thee to Amazon and buy every last Westerberg solo and Replacements record right now heathen.) I learned a lot of new things from the various mentions that Westerberg namechecked in his songs, one of which being the pop-laden beauty that was Alex Chilton's musical catalogue. Thanks to Westerberg penning that perennial song about Chilton for the Replacements' 1985 masterpiece Tim, I'm certain this experience happened to a lot of us.

If you've been living in a cave without newspaper delivery or internet service, Chilton died on St. Patrick's Day at the age of 59. So it seemed utterly appropriate to me when I heard that Westerberg wrote a piece about Chilton in a publication that reached far and wide like the Sunday NY Times. I was at SXSW when the article published, but if you haven't read it, it's a wonderful ode of acknowledgement and gratitude from one musical curmudgeon to another. And given the gratitude I have for Westerberg for introducing me to things like Chilton, I'd be remiss if we didn't publish it here.

Beyond The Box Tops-by Paul Westerberg

HOW does one react to the death of one’s mentor? My mind instantly slammed down the inner trouble-door that guards against all thought, emotion, sadness. Survival mode. Rock guitar players are all dead men walking. It’s only a matter of time, I tell myself as I finger my calluses. Those who fail to click with the world and society at large find safe haven in music — to sing, write songs, create, perform. Each an active art in itself that offers no promise of success, let alone happiness.

Yet success shone early on Alex Chilton, as the 16-year-old soulful singer of the hit-making Box Tops. Possessing more talent than necessary, he tired as a very young man of playing the game — touring, performing at state fairs, etc. So he returned home to Memphis. Focusing on his pop writing and his rock guitar skills, he formed the group Big Star with Chris Bell. Now he had creative control, and his versatility shone bright. Beautiful melodies, heart-wrenching lyrics: “I’m in Love with a Girl,” “September Gurls.”

On Big Star’s masterpiece third album, Alex sang my favorite song of his, “Nighttime” — a haunting and gorgeous ballad that I will forever associate with my floor-sleeping days in New York. Strangely, the desperation in the line “I hate it here, get me out of here” made me, of all things, happy. He went on to produce more artistic, challenging records. One equipped with the take-it-or-leave-it — no, excuse me, with the take-it-like-I-make-it — title “Like Flies on Sherbert.” The man had a sense of humor, believe me.

It was some years back, the last time I saw Alex Chilton. We miraculously bumped into each other one autumn evening in New York, he in a Memphis Minnie T-shirt, with take-out Thai, en route to his hotel. He invited me along to watch the World Series on TV, and I immediately discarded whatever flimsy obligation I may have had. We watched baseball, talked and laughed, especially about his current residence — he was living in, get this, a tent in Tennessee.

Because we were musicians, our talk inevitably turned toward women, and Al, ever the Southern gentleman, was having a hard time between bites communicating to me the difficulty in ... you see, the difficulty in (me taking my last swig that didn’t end up on the wall, as I boldly supplied the punch line) “... in asking a young lady if she’d like to come back to your tent?” We both darn near died there in a fit of laughter.

Yeah, December boys got it bad, as “September Gurls” notes. The great Alex Chilton is gone — folk troubadour, blues shouter, master singer, songwriter and guitarist. Someone should write a tune about him. Then again, nah, that would be impossible. Or just plain stupid.

The Best Summation of the Replacements I've Heard in a Very Long Time...

My friend AdamAnnapolis is that kid that you're always glad is in your life because he's so quirky and funny and whip-fucking-smart. If you weren't already a music snob in high school or college but had half a brain, he was the kid you looked to because his music taste was always so poignant and interesting. Adam and I discovered we were each other's doppelganger a long time ago because we share so much in common it's like we were from the same embryo. Which is great but also scary (especially because he finds WWF so exceptionally interesting).

One thing we long ago bonded over was The Replacements. As I mentioned, he's ridiculously bright, so I'm not at all surprised he posted the following synopsis of the 'Mats so beautifully. Adam claims that I can capture the essence of live music shows in print well but damn Adam, let me say here publicly that you've captured the essence of the Replacements, and Westerberg especially, in a way I could only dream of doing. Kudos friend...

What Made the Replacements Great
They sound like these angry bratty asshole kids, a gang of 4 suburban disaffected youth who don't even seem to know, care or take seriously that they rock pretty hard.

The lead singer seems like a particular prick.

You want to hate him, and as much of a dick as he comes off, every so often, you hear a song he's written, and he somehow has captured things you've felt your whole life, and never were able to articulate.

And then, he rips your heart out with a seemingly endless string of the most emotion filled beautiful ballads you've ever heard.

And so you love the little shithead exactly FOR being the shithead... who is secretly a genius.

Paul Westerberg to Release New Music for .49 on Saturday, July 19; New 'Mats Reissues Out September 23

If you couldn't already tell from the main and sub-titles, we here at Between Love and Like are big fans of Paul Westerberg. That's why we're more than just a little giddy to share with you the following:

On June 49, (that's July 19 to you and me), Paul Westerberg will be releasing 49 minutes of music for just 49¢. Check back (here) on Saturday, July 19 and you'll find a link to download the new tunes.

Definitely good news! Westerberg's last release of new music was 2004's Folker.

Update, July 19: This is from Kathy, the woman who runs the Men Without Ties site, the intended location for the new tracks:

don't want to dampen anyone's anticipation prematurely but I also don't want anyone checking back here at 12:01 AM thinking the link will be live. Things are still being worked out as I type this, but there's a possibility that it may be June 49 + 2 days (Monday) as opposed to tomorrow due to, well, I believe the technical term for it is a "kerflooey". I'll keep you posted.

In other Westerberg-related good news, Rhino records announced yesterday that the final four Replacments reissues from their Sire days will be released on September 23.

Each album features a host of previously unreleased bonus tracks; the entire reissue catalog will also see digital release the same day.

I've heard many of the tracks that are being included, these are definitely worth the cash!